Back-to-School Strategies: Building Bonds and Easing Anxieties in Your Classroomst

Hey Reader!

As many of us start back to school, I thought I’d take just a moment and share a few tips on helping children acclimate to a new school year! It can be a really difficult transition for some of these littles who are missing their mommies and wondering what they will encounter in your classroom!

In a recent podcast conversation, I talked with Diane Goyette about her 4Cs Framework for helping children when they are upset. I’m going to share a couple of tips for the first 2 Cs – Connection and Calming – in today’s post.

Connection – it’s one of THE most important things we could do for any child (any human of any age, actually)! When we feel connected, accepted, and loved by another person, our defenses come down and we’re able to enjoy activities and truly learn. Strong connection requires 4 critical elements:

1. Eye contact – get down on the child’s level and look them in the eyes for just a moment. You’ll download your emotional state to that child through mirror neurons. “Mirror neurons ensure the moment someone sees an emotion on your face, they will at once sense the same feeling within themselves.” – Daniel Stern.
2. Presence – Relax into the moment with a child as you intentionally connect. Focus just on that one child for a second (truly – just one or two seconds) and notice how intricately God made him/her.
3. Physical Touch – Playful touch is essential to releasing calming chemicals in the brain. Consider a silly handshake or maybe thumb-kiss (where your thumb “kisses” their thumb with a brief bump together).
4. Playfulness – Playful moments together actually builds bonds through the release of dopamine in the brain with a shared experience. Playful moments also increase attention span!

Calming – when our brains and bodies are going crazy (aka throwing a fit or maybe a panic attack), we must find a way to calm both the body and the brain, which then also calms the spirit/soul. Here are a couple of tips for helping the children in your care (and yourself) calm down:

1. Deep breathing – it’s the easiest tip I can give you. Intentionally breathe deep down into your diaphragm and then slowly force the air back out. HERE is a great article to share with parents on why breathing with kids helps them calm down. There are also lots of fun breathing techniques to try with your students.
2. Rhythm and Repetition – Our brain is pattern-seeking so when young children feel out of control, begin a slow, rhythmic tapping, swaying, or even a slow, gentle song. If the children will do it with you, even better, but you can do it next to them and still calm their brains and bodies. Swinging or rocking are also very helpful.
3. Movement – sometimes we just need to move our bodies to work out the stress. BIG muscle movements can often work out the big feelings and bring children back to a state of calm (that might be why stomping when you’re angry feels so good)!

Practice Connection and Calming with your precious young students this week. And make sure YOU are experiencing true connection and practicing calming techniques yourself. Those mirror neurons will definitely transfer your stress and concern to the young students in your class if you’re not in a calm and peaceful state yourself.

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

Listen to this podcast episode with host Diane Goyette now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ​

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Colossians 3:16

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”